1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin receiving box associated with operation of a host coin accepting machine. The coin collection box is removable from the machine, and is interchangeably inserted selectively into any one of several similar machines. The coin box contains memory for establishing both temporary and permanent electronic records, and has electrical contact surfaces enabling communication with its host machine. The coin box has guiding structure for assuring that it is correctly inserted into its host machine. Both the guiding structure and the electrical contacts enable reversible insertion into the host machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Certain activities, such as vending and gaming, are available to the public in commercial premises dedicated to these activities. These premises contain gaming machines which operate automatically when a patron inserts coins or tokens into the machine. Gaming machines tend to amass coins or tokens rapidly, and must periodically be emptied. Since machine operation is equally feasible with coins and tokens, discussion from this point forward will refer to coins, it being understood that tokens may be substituted to similar effect.
In particular, gaming machines are available in large numbers in casinos. Large numbers of people enjoy using these machines, which may all be in use despite the number of machines available. To enable rapid reestablishment of operability after retrieval of coins, gaming machines are provided with interchangeable, removable coin collection boxes. Service personnel employed by the casino come to a gaming machine with an empty coin collection box, remove the full box, and insert the new box. The full box is then brought to a counting facility for accounting and verification of its contents.
Many boxes may be present simultaneously at the counting facility. Various schemes have been employed to enable the casino to know which box is associated with which gaming machine. These schemes use printed numbers on small pieces of paper, or serial numbers printed on the side of coin boxes. Both methods are prone to human error and mistake.
The casino may easily fail to recover all coins which theoretically are present in the coin box. Such loss may stem from either of two possibilities. One is that the bin was misaligned within its host gaming machine, so that some coins could fail to enter the box. In this case, the coins could lodge within recesses in the machine, or be retrieved and pocketed during removal of the box by dishonest personnel servicing the machine. These personnel may also remove coins from the interior of the box, even when the coins have properly entered the box.
Although casinos have automated systems utilizing the master computer for calculating a total sum which theoretically has been amassed by the machines, the system falls short of being able to pinpoint specific causes of loss. This is because large numbers of coin or token bins are received at the counting facilities, and it is not possible to identify which box was short of its calculated receipts. It is merely possible to calculate that the sum of the coins actually collected falls short of theoretical receipts. Thus the operator of the premises cannot identify poorly installed bins and dishonest employees.
A coin receiving machine having a removable coin collection box and electronic memory devices contained within both machine and box is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,643, issued to Bernd Kirberg on Oct. 15, 1991. Kirberg's device is a vending machine rather than a gaming machine, and lacks the arrangement of guiding structure assuring appropriate and reversible mating of the coin collection box within the host machine and electrical contacts found in the present invention.
Mechanical disconnection of an electronic memory device within a coin receiving machine upon removal of a coin collecting receptacle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,285, issued to Jerome Remien on Oct. 17, 1995. Remien's machine is not a gaming machine, and lacks the arrangement of guiding structure assuring appropriate and reversible mating of the coin collection box within the host machine and electrical contacts found in the present invention.
Keyed insertion of a coin collecting receptacle into a host machine is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 2,371,114, issued to Walter Von Stoeser on Mar. 6, 1945. Stoeser's arrangement does not allow for reversible insertion of the receptacle, as provided in the present invention. Also, Stoeser's machine is not a gaming machine, and lacks electronic memory and electrical contacts enabling communication to electronic memory, as found in the present invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.